BOWLS: Middleton Cup disappointment as Northants lose to Essex

On a cold and overcast day the match did not start well for the County for after three ends played across the green the home players had built up a decent lead at 19-6.

But the County men showed up well over the next three ends by completely eradicating the deficit to be on level terms at 26 shots each, and the signs were much more positive.

Unfortunately for Northants, Essex immediately stemmed their rate of progress over the next three ends by reinstating a substantial lead of 16 shots, with end seven being particularly good for them as they collected 13 shots on just three of their rinks.

Matters did not get better for the County for the remainder of the match as Essex was able to maintain a decent lead of 20 shots plus at every stage, and their players were delighted to take the match by 26 shots, with three winning rinks, one drawing and two losing, albeit by just one shot each.

The County’s two winning rinks were skipped by Callum Height and team manager Vernon Gearey, with a single shot victory each, and Height must be pleased to post his third winning score for the County to keep his 100 per cent record on his first season of skipping a rink in the Middleton Cup.

The County did almost have another winning rink, in Darren Childs’ men, but on his last end, when holding a three shots lead and sitting well to get the victory, the Essex skip ‘killed the end’ twice for it to be replayed, and with the last bowl of the match, when 
he was again sitting shots down, he bowled a magnificent wood to trail the jack and collect the three shots he needed for the tie on that rink.

Interestingly an analysis of the scorecards will show that, despite the 26 shots difference between the two County’s scores, Essex only won fourr more ends than the County, the count being 65-61 in their favour.

Rink details, Essex skips only, as follows:

Rink 1: David Love, David Walker, Alan Ashby & Jamie Walker 13 – Steve Mitchinson 22

Rink 2: Adam Pitfield, Peter Ward, Phil Exley & Paul Broderick 14 – Ed Morris 19

Rink 3: Tony O’Leary, John Freeman, Richard Lemon & Callum Height 14 – Darren King 13

Rink 4: Curtis Johnson, Daniel Height, Andrew Manton & Vernon Gearey 16 – Mark Nullmeyers 15

Rink 5: Adam Brown, Jonathan Brown, Matt Pownall & Roger Tansley 13 – Andrew Squire 27

Rink 6: Keith Height, Ashley Linnell, Darren Lyman & Darren Childs 17 – Mark Christmas 17

NORTHANTS face Suffolk BA at Kingsthorpe in their last Middleton Cup Group stage match on Saturday, starting at 2pm.

Team manager Vernon Gearey has selected the same team which played against Essex on Saturday with Connor Cinato, Kettering Midland Band BC added to the reserves, which includes Jim McKee, Ben Sharpe and Martin Gearey, all from Kingsthorpe BC, and Kettering Lodge’s Connor Rollings.

THE following players have been selected to represent Northants Men in a friendly against London Parks BA on Thursday, June 30, at Irchester BC (2pm).

Rink 1: Dave Moore, Northampton Express BC/Robin Frost, Bugbrooke BC/George Willmott, Irchester BC/Richard Somerton, Brackley BC

Rink 2: John Ruff, Northampton West End BC/Jonathan George, Wellingborough BC/John Cooper, Burton Latimer Town BC/Terry James, Thrapston BC

Rink 3: Peter Hoad, Northampton Express BC/Dave Garland, Kingsthorpe BC/Bob Tingle, Geddington & Newton BC/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough BC

Rink 4: Trevor Tilley, Irchester BC/John Chester, Kettering Lodge BC/Peter Mercer, West Haddon BC/Michael Moulton, Heyford BC

Rink 5: Peter Kitchener, Irchester BC/Brian Hunt, Burton Latimer Town BC/Geoff Harris, Higham Ferrers Town BC/Norman Gibb, Corby Seagrave House BC

Rink 6: Will Clelland, Corby Seagrave House BC/Dave Lovell, Irchester BC/Colin Barnes, Roade BC/Mossy Waters, Rushden Town BC

Reserves: Brian Diver, Corby Seagrave House BC/Brian Jones, Heyford BC/Gordon Morris, Northampton West End BC/Harvey Fruish, Abington BC

County ladies win battle of the sexes

Northants Ladies are celebrating after they won the annual match against Northants Men by 113-107.

The match was played at Irchester on Sunday and as ever was very keenly fought.

With just a couple of ends left across the green, the women led by a few shots.

There was still a chance for the men, but in the end, when requiring five shots to tie and six shots to win, the final end went to the women by one shot and the match with it to the women’s section by six shots.

The rink wins were shared, and the highest scoring rink for the women was that skipped by Brenda Bishop with a 12 shots advantage.

For the men the highest scoring rink was the one skipped by Terry James, which posted an eight shots win, although George Willmott’s rink was not far behind with a seven shots win.

Rink details, women’s names first, as follows:

Rink 1: Elaine Munton, Betty Tilley, Shirley Ongley & Joan Sidebottom 17 – Peter Kitchener, Dave Garland, Kevin Mawson & Terry James 25

Rink 2: Joy Gordon, Val Scott, Denise Nason & Christine Cooper 20 – Harvey Fruish, Jonathan George & Richard Somerton 16 (one of the Men’s team failed to arrive, so the three who did played it as a two-wood triple)

Rink 3: Joyce George, Sue Ellerby, Sandra Mawson & Brenda Bishop 24 – Don Scott, Geoff Simmons, Dave Lovell & John Cooper 12

Rink 4: Velda Cooper, Pat O’Hanlon, Liz Keeney & Ann Stewart 11 – Peter Hoad, Stewart Laxton, Neville Bodily & George Willmott 18

Rink 5: Marlene Armitage, Debbie Cox, Linda Warren & Wilma Walker 24 – Paul Cooke, George Donegan, Will Keeney & Ken Court 16

Rink 6: Brenda Lawrence, Sian Hugh-Jones, Heather Golding & Pat Bodily 17 – Steve Cooper, Vic Wallace, Dick Clark & Keith Gordon 20

THE following players have been selected to represent Northants Ladies in their Middle England League match against Gloucestershire at Brackley & District BC next Monday (June 27, start 1.30pm).

Rink 1: Marlene Armitage, Wellingborough BC/Sandra Mawson, Northampton Whyte Melville BC/Joan Sidebottom, Roade BC/Ann-Marie Waters, Roade BC

Rink 2: Chris Cooper, Burton Latimer Town BC/Heather Golding, Swanspool BC/Audrey Height, Kettering Lodge BC/Sharon Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 3: Linda Warren, Abbey Park BC/Elaine Urquhart, Brackley BC/Di Brumwell, Kingsthorpe BC/Hilary Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 4: Alison Dring, Burton Latimer Town BC/Pam Sallaway, Rushden Town BC/Ann Stewart, Irchester BC/Val Betts, Higham Ferrers Town BC

Rink 5: Pat Starsmore, Kettering Lodge BC/Rhona Holland, Heyford BC/Yvonne McKee, Kingsthorpe BC/Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 6: Velda Cooper, Irchester BC/Elsie Hatton, Brackley BC/Margaret Cave, Thrapston BC/Jill Welch, Heyford BC

Travelling Reserves: Chris Cross, Byfield BC/Pat Symonds, Daventry Tigers BC/Margaret Tyler, Burton Latimer Town BC

THIS Sunday sees Northants’successful Balcomb Trophy double rink team take part in the regional finals of the competition at Maulden BC in Bedfordshire (start 10am).

Northants will face 
Hertfordshire in the 
semi-final, and hopefully the winners of the other semi-final between Suffolk and Leicestershire in the afternoon’s final.

The selected Northants team is: Rink 1: Tony O’Leary, Abington BC/Roger Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC/Darren Childs, Thrapston BC/Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC

Rink 2: Callum Height, Matt Pownall, both Thrapston BC/Phil Exley, Paul Broderick, both Burton Latimer Town BC

Reserves: Andrew Manton, Kingsthorpe BC/Adam Brown, Abington BC

Latest county competition results

Ladies four-wood singles: First Round: Lisbeth Milburn, Abington BC given walkover by Jan Bradley, Heyford BC

Ladies two-wood singles: Second Round: Pat Bodily, Whyte Melville BC beat Jackie Harrington,Brackley BC 15-13; Louise Haladij, Kislingbury BC beat Janet Ashby, Northampton West End BC 17-7; Sandra Mawson, Northampton Whyte Melville BC beat Lisbeth Milburn, Abington BC 17-9; Michelle Harris, Kingsthorpe BC beat Sharon Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC 17-9; Linda Warren, Abbey Park BC beat Helen Blaby, Kislingbury BC 15-10; Jill Welch, Heyford BC beat Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe 9-0 (conceded)

Ladies Over-55 singles: Second Round: Jill Welch, Heyford BC given walkover by Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe BC

Ladies Over-55 pairs: Third Round: Janet Swift & partner, Abbey Park BC beat Elaine Urquhart & partner, Brackley BC 30-6; Serena Santer & partner, St Crispin BC beat Chris Cross & partner, Byfield BC 15-14; Joan Sidebottom & partner, Roade BC beat Sharon Tansley & partner, Kingsthorpe BC 25-10; Brenda Bishop & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Val Rowson & partner, Harpole BC 10-2 shots (conceded after 6 ends)

Ladies county champion of champions singles: Second Round: Joy Gordon, Irchester BC beat Gill Ward, Rushden Town BC 21-13; Viv Gaudyn, Higham Ferrers Town BC beat Linda McCabe, Corby Seagrave House BC 21-13; Sandra Mawson, Northampton Whyte Melville BC beat Debbie Bradshaw, Abington BC 21-9; Janet Ashby, Northampton Whyte Melville BC beat Margaret Silsby, Kettering Lodge BC 21-7; Sharon Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC beat Alice Moore, Kislingbury BC 21-13; Rebecca Wigfield, Desborough Town BC beat Pauline Letts, St Crispin BC 21-11

Ladies secretary/treasurer singles: First Round: Margaret Watts, Desborough Town BC beat Esther Roman, Irchester BC 21-3 shots

Men four-wood singles: Second Round: Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC beat Rob White, Northampton Express 21-9; Danny Walker, Northampton West End BC beat John Hodgkinson, Daventry Town 21-20; Will Walker, Northampton West End BC beat Mick Spear, Kingsthorpe BC 21-18; Chris Bland, Northampton Express BC beat Michael Moulton, Heyford BC 21-17; Mark Dickens, St Crispin BC beat Iain Walker, Northampton West End BC 21-19; Jason Bryan, Kingsthorpe BC beat Mick Taylor, 
Abington BC 21-13; Tim Dawkins, Wootton Grange BC beat Phil Reeve, Kingsthorpe BC 21-12; Tony O’Leary, Abington BC 
beat Tom Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC 21-16; Martin Gearey, Kingsthorpe BC beat Dominic Graham, Northampton Express BC 21-20

Men’s triples: Third Round: Neil Rolfe’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC beat Kevin Lawson’s triple, Northampton Whyte Melville BC 18-13; Dominic Graham’s triple, Northampton Express BC beat Jason Bryan’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC 21-13; Vernon Gearey’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC beat Jamie Walker’s triple, Northampton West End BC 24-14; Tony Weston’s triple, Northampton West End BC beat Darrell Welch’s triple, Daventry Town BC 17-12; Ivan Wilson’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC beat Phil Reeve’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC 21-9; Jonathan Brown’s triple, Abington BC beat Nick Beirne’s triple, St Crispin BC 17-13; Chris Bland’s triple, Northampton Express BC beat Nigel Hanwell’s triple, Kingsthorpe C 20-9; Colin Barnes’ triple, Roade BC beat Phil O’Dell’s triple, St Crispin BC 21-14

Area Finals: Neil Rolfe’s triple beat Dominic Graham’s triple 19-12; Vernon Gearey’s triple beat Tony Weston’s triple 17-12; Jonathan Brown’s triple beat Ivan Wilson’s triple 13-5; Chris Bland’s triple beat Colin Barnes’ triple 23-17

Under 25 singles: Second Round: Abby Woodward, Desborough Town BC beat Billie Swift, Abbey Park BC 21-13

Latest national competitions results

Ladies champion of champions: First Round: Joy Gordon, Irchester BC beat Linda McCabe, Corby Seagrave House BC 21-14

Second Round: Rebecca Wigfield, Desborough Town BC beat Joy Gordon, Irchester BC 21-7; Louise Haladij, Kislingbury BC beat Sharon Tansley, Kingsthorpe BC 21-13

Ladies senior singles: Prelim. Round: Tina Broderick, Burton Latimer Town BC beat Jeannie Flippance, Desborough Town 21-14; Viv Gaudyn, Higham Ferrers Town BC beat Rita Nolan, Rushden Town BC 21-12; Janet Ashby, Northampton West End BC beat Elaine Munton, Northampton Whyte Melville BC 21-18

First Round: Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe BC given walkover by Jan Bradley, Heyford BC

Ladies top club: Round one: Kingsthorpe BC ‘A’ beat Roade BC ‘A’ 62-60; Burton Latimer Town BC ‘A’ beat Wellingborough BC ‘A’ 3-1

Men champion of champions: Second Round: Connor Cinato, Kettering Midland Band BC beat Alan Muir, Thrapston BC 21-16; Neil Gould, Earls Barton BC beat Brian Briggs, Kettering Lodge BC 21-16; Paul Broderick, Burton Latimer Town BC beat Adam Pitfield, Rushden Town BC 21-15; Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC beat Chris Bland, Northampton Express BC 21-11

Men’s senior singles: First Round: Brian Briggs, Kettering Lodge BC beat Keith Height, Thrapston BC 21-15; Mick Corbyn, Rushden Town BC given walkover by Graham Maddams, Wellingborough; David Jones, Bugbrooke BC given walkover by Colin Barnes, Roade BC; Michael Moulton, Heyford BC beat Phil Reeve, Kingsthorpe BC 21-20; Duggie Mitchell, Daventry Town BC beat Mark Dickens, St Crispin BC 21-17

Second Round: Brian Briggs, Kettering Lodge BC beat Mark Turner, Kettering Midland Band BC 21-15

Men’s senior pairs: Preliminary Round: Bryan Chapman & partner, Irthlingborough CI BC beat Mick Corbyn & partner, Rushden Town BC 21-12

First Round: David Bailey & partner, Thrapston BC beat Bryan Chapman & partner 23-11; Tony Gilbert & partner, Desborough Town BC beat Martin Cinato & partner, Kettering Midland Band BC 24-20; Roger Tansley & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Dave Masters & partner, St Crispin BC 27-0; Roger Summers & partner, Northampton West End BC beat Martin Walker & partner, Northampton West End BC 24-14

Men’s club two fours: Third Round: Abington BC ‘A’ beat Daventry Town BC ‘A’ 43-29

Men’s top club: First Round: Wellingborough BC ‘A’ beat Higham Ferrers Town BC ‘A’ 4-1; Abington BC ‘A’ beat Wootton Grange BC ‘A’ 4-1; Northampton West End BC ‘A’ beat Northampton Express BC ‘A’ 4-1; Kingsthorpe ‘A’ beat Heyford BC ‘A’ 5-0

Mixed pairs: Third Round: Jamie Walker & partner, Northampton West End BC beat Michael Moulton & partner, Heyford BC 21-15; Hilary Sharpe & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Mark Plimmer & partner, Higham Ferrers Town BC 19-14; David Jones & partner, Bugbrooke BC beat Jasmin Spear & partner, Kingsthorpe BC 24-13

Mixed fours: Second Round: Martin Cinato’s rink, Kettering Midland Band BC beat Darren Lyman’s rink, Wellingborough BC 21-17; Tina Broderick’s rink, Burton Latimer Town BC beat Alison Dring’s rink, Burton Latimer Town BC 24-14 shots

Mixed family pairs: Second Round: Nick Cleverly & partner, Hart of Fleckney BC beat Dominic Graham & partner, Northampton Express BC 23-6; Iain Walker & partner, Northampton West End BC beat Mick Sharpe & partner, Kingsthorpe BC 19-10; Mark Betts & partner, Rushden Town BC beat Steve Norman & partner, Higham Ferrers Town BC 21-12

Over-60 double rinks (The Tony Allcock Trophy): First Round: Kingsthorpe BC ‘A’ beat Rugby Thornfield BC ‘A’ 34-15; Thrapston BC ‘A’ beat Wellingborough BC ‘B’ 44-34